More whistleblowers come forward with allegations regarding "de-escalation," "seclusion" rooms in Denver schools

As we learn more about a seclusion room at Denver's McAuliffe International School, a state representative plans to sponsor a bill to ban them.

Members of the Denver School Board say they have heard from more whistleblowers since they came forward with allegations about students being locked in the room last week.

In a news conference Monday, Denver Public Schools addressed the lock on the exterior door at McAuliffe International and added that seven whistleblowers have now come forward with more allegations regarding the room.

During the news conference, DPS confirmed placing a lock on the outside of a door violates administrative policy.

An email from one whistleblower said that most students locked in this room had individual educational plans or "IEPs" and were dragged through the school hallways while being taken to this room.

Emails have been sent to the Denver Public Schools' Office of General Counsel.

School board members say de-escalation rooms exist but are not intended to be used as seclusion spaces. 

"There is nothing, nothing that a school leader -- that a student can do, in a school to lead to them being put in a room that mimics incarceration," said School Board Member Michelle Quattlebaum.

David Lane, an attorney representing recently fired McAuliffe principal Kurt Dennis, defended the rooms, saying they're used sparingly and only in extreme cases.

"The de-escalation room is to be used for students who are violent in classrooms," he said. "In a school of 1,500 students for the past year, two students got sent to the de-escalation room and that was with the full approval of their parents and their psychologist."

DPS says more than two students were put into that room. at least one of them did not have an IEP.

Part of DPS's internal investigation is identifying how many students were put in that room, how often and who these students are.

Democratic State Rep. Regina English says she's sponsoring a bill to ban seclusion rooms across K-12 schools throughout the state.